Chinks In The Armour

Chinks In The Armour 

  
  
  Sometimes it becomes necessary to sit back and evaluate one's own motivations.  After all the pep talks and inspiring words of wisdom we give others we ourselves still fall short of who we are at certain times, under certain conditions, and when we simply just miss the mark.  We can ignore the truth and think that our outer protection, our armor, our persona, integrity, our social profile is intact when in all reality it needs mending.

   When knights were prevalent a suit of armor was very important and much more costly than we could ever know by watching Game of Thrones or First Knight.  The fact of the matter is that skilled fighters and duly knighted men sold farms and land just to have a complete set.  Today you would not sell your house or commend your children to a life of servitude (slavery) just for an Armani suit.  The very thought is ridiculous!  But these men had to go into the fray of battle, they could not drop a missile remotely from 4000 miles away from the comfort of their straw and mud cottage.  So with some respect to that I have to 'give them a pass' for being brave enough to stand there knowing war was a game of numbers and the possibility of return was slim.

    Today we wear armor all the time.  The Christian wears his or her spiritual armor.  Your boss wears his big, bad, blow your house down armor.  Your children wear the hand-me-down armor you gave them and that very same armor your parents gave to you.  Well, those of us who were blessed enough to have parents that were there to give you armor.  "What are you talking about?  What is all this parabolic talk of armor?" you are saying to yourself.  I am talking about hats dude.  "Good Lord, now I am really confused!" You exclaim as you scroll down a few paragraphs to see if I have anything of value to convey.

   We all know the expression of 'A Man of Many Hats' right?  A jack of all trades and a master of none.  This is the expression of a person that becomes all things to all men.  Not in such a way that you lose sight of yourself (supposedly), but in the sense that you are a versatile being. Now, what has that to do with 'armor'?  Everything.  Our armor is what other people see when we put on a show, a facade, a ruse to change how people perceive us.  It is perfectly natural and I am not condemning anyone, it is just an observation I have made throughout the years.  But also it IS who we are and how we think.  I could say my father's armor was bright and shinny but had a hint of alcohol to it, a chink in the armor.  While nobody is perfect that goes double for the armor, the persona, they put on.  Dad was a great machinist, welder, and morally sound man... uhm, except for that corn liquor he was always hitting in the garage when he thought my mom was not looking.  A chink in the armor.  In medieval times a chink could get you killed.  A precise blow could and a lot of times probably did expose the wearer to greater dangers. This is how we wear our priorities and morals and sometimes our alter-egos.  

  When who we are and how we are living does not add up to the armor we are wearing a conflict is eventually going to occur.  First with ourselves, whether or not we have any conscience or moral capacities.  Secondly with the people around us.  Credibility is incredible.  It is the only thing that can add to the measure of a man without him or her doing anything special and at the same time if effort is used as a catalyst for a person's credentials of life that person has far better chances of seceding in life and relationships.

  When we have a conflict within ourselves we often beat our heads into the wall because it seems we are being attacked when in all reality we are battling with our self.  It is hard work to keep up with 100 pounds of armor when you can only comfortably wear 50 pounds.  That is like when you are out in public and you see a woman with a dirty child.  He is running around, tearing up things, being loud, and generally aggravating everyone then he picks up something off the ground and puts it into his mouth.  The first thing the mother says is "Don't put that in your mouth!  It's filthy." Okay, where were you when the kid was running around, tearing up things, yelling, and screaming?  That is not your armor.  Not for real.  Like it or not she is NOT the good parent that she would like everyone to believe she is.  Does she love her child?  I do not know, but that has nothing to do with it, stay on topic.  Now do you see what I am trying to say?  Let us say she is a good parent but just swamped with her everyday, mundane tasks, that is still a chink in the armor.  Take it to the blacksmith and mend it.

   We should make sure that our armor is custom fitted.  If you want to look like the Knight In Shining Armour then be that knight in everything that you do. Do not make excuses give reasons and your life will be much simpler. Know your limitations and keep your friends and family close.  Iron sharpens iron.  Do not be afraid to tell close people that you are having a bad day, do not say that everything is alright when it is truly going to hell and back.  I am not giving anyone a 'pity party pass', nobody wants to hear your problems everyday or every week for that matter.  You should change your armor and live up to its stature, if you do not have that armor or can not sell the farm and children, then custom build it one piece at a time until it is complete and mind the gaps.  We can be everything that we need to be, to everyone that needs us to be what we need to be.  A lot of people are depending on you whether you know it or not, whether you choose to believe it or not. People are not generally concerned about your online personality, most of us are not anywhere close to what we represent with a bunch of pictures, videos, and blogs and that is okay (for online).  The real test is in the real world and the battle is at hand whether it is for family or friends, country or world, rich or poor and we need to be fully armored to accomplish what we intend.